However, the crowd was in no hurry.
Next, it all came down to the maneuvers of Xuanjian, the Lord of the Dao of Commerce.
If this auction was conducted well, it would be enough for the Treasure Vault Merchant Guild to become famous throughout heaven and earth, firmly securing its reputation as the number-one merchant guild.
But if it went poorly...
It came back to what Xuanjian had said about credibility.
If their credibility was ruined, the Treasure Vault Merchant Guild would have a hard time thriving in the future.
In fact, if he made a mess of it and failed to revitalize the Dao of Commerce, the Heavenly Dao might even hand down punishment.
“Fellow Daoist Xuanjian,” Minghe spoke up again, “may I ask if these one thousand two hundred and eighty Coins of Five Virtues are enough to secure a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure?”
Xuanjian shook his head. “No. The value of a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure is ten times that of a Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Moreover, this is an auction where the highest bidder wins. If you wish to guarantee securing a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, Fellow Daoist, you must prepare at least thirteen thousand Coins of Five Virtues.”
“Thirteen thousand Coins of Five Virtues?!”
Hearing this price, many Innate Sacred Beings were startled.
Calculated by the exchange rate Minghe had just received, thirteen thousand Coins of Five Virtues was equivalent to ten Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures and thirty Low-Grade Innate Spiritual Roots?
That was far too expensive!
Yet, if it could buy a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure... it was actually quite reasonable.
Still, it was obscenely expensive!
Many Innate Sacred Beings only possessed one or two Innate Spiritual Treasures, and some did not possess a single one.
They were utterly penniless paupers.
Right, Kunpeng?
Many Innate Sacred Beings who had arrived hoping to snag a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure instantly gave up on the idea.
A Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure was wonderful, but the price was beyond what they could afford.
Even first-tier Innate Sacred Beings like the Three Purities frowned in deep contemplation.
Minghe did the math in his head, then promptly took out every treasure on his person, save for Yuantu, Abi, the Twelve-Petaled Karmic Fire Red Lotus, and the Northern Xuanyuan Water-Controlling Banner.
“Fellow Daoist Xuanjian, please see how much these are worth.”
Xuanjian glanced at them and said, “Fellow Daoist Minghe, treasures below the Innate rank cannot be exchanged for Coins of Five Virtues; they can only be exchanged for Treasure-Gathering Coins.”
Hearing this, Minghe was curious. “What are these Treasure-Gathering Coins?”
Xuanjian explained the distinction between Treasure-Gathering Coins and Coins of Five Virtues in simple and clear detail.
After listening, realization dawned upon the crowd.
“I see.”
“That makes total sense.”
“Only Innate items are worthy of being traded with Coins of Five Virtues.”
“Only Coins of Five Virtues are worthy of Innate Sacred Beings and Daluo Golden Immortals like us.”
In the end, Xuanjian accepted Minghe's treasures and exchanged five thousand Coins of Five Virtues for him.
Counting the previous one thousand two hundred and eighty, Minghe now held six thousand two hundred and eighty Coins of Five Virtues.
Though not enough to buy a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, it was sufficient to secure a High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.
Afterward, the other Innate Sacred Beings also took out their Innate items to exchange them.
The Three Purities pooled the power of all three of them and exchanged fifteen thousand Coins of Five Virtues.
Zhenyuanzi exchanged twelve first-batch top-grade Ginseng Fruits for one thousand two hundred Coins of Five Virtues.
First-batch, as the name implied, referred to the very first crop of fruits borne by the Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Root, the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
There was only that single batch.
Invaluable, a single fruit was comparable to a Low-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.
Hence, twelve first-batch top-grade Ginseng Fruits fetched one thousand two hundred Coins of Five Virtues.
Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi pooled their resources together, scraping together five thousand Coins of Five Virtues.
The Demon Court exchanged a massive quantity of Innate divine items, Innate Spiritual Roots, and several Low- and Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures for fourteen thousand Coins of Five Virtues.
The higher one's cultivation reached, the less useful Low- and Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures became. Only High-Grade and Top-Grade treasures could unleash immense power in the hands of Daluo Golden Immortals and Quasi-Saints, thereby swaying the tide of battle!
The Demon Court was truly going all out this time.
They were determined to secure a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!
To bolster the Demon Court's foundation.
As the Demon Court's current number-one enemy, the members of the Immortal Court led by the Duke of the East went crazy as well.
They exchanged a vast quantity of Coins of Five Virtues, aiming to thwart the Demon Court and even seize a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure of their own!
The mighty beings with capital set their sights on that Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.
There were also some who, despite being Daluo Golden Immortals and Innate Sacred Beings, were truly short on funds and had no spare resources to exchange for Coins of Five Virtues.
For example...
“Fellow Daoist Xuanjian, our West is barren! Fish and birds shun it, not a blade of grass grows, and it cannot compare to the vast territory and abundant resources of the East. We really... we really cannot produce enough spiritual essences and treasures to exchange for these Coins of Five Virtues!”
Zhunti wailed mournfully.
Weeping bitterly in public was an extremely humiliating loss of face for anyone else; not even an early stage Daluo would stoop to doing such a thing.
Yet for Zhunti... it was second nature.
Zhunti timed and pitched his wailing perfectly, making it even more professional than a professional mourner.
Jieyin wore a look of sorrow and suffering as he sighed. “Fellow Daoist, could our brothers buy some Coins of Five Virtues on credit first? Once our hands are less tight in the future, we will definitely repay the exact amount!”
Others would offer to repay double.
When it came to Jieyin, he only offered to repay the exact amount.
He was not even willing to calculate interest.
Seeing this, the crowd had varied expressions. Some watched the spectacle, some showed pity, and some sneered in disdain.
They had witnessed this exact drama back during the first sermon in Zixiao Palace.
Back then, Zhunti and Jieyin had managed to cry their way into two of the six seats before the Dao Ancestor. No one knew if they could get their way this time as well.
Some intended to use Zhunti and Jieyin as test subjects.
If getting Coins of Five Virtues on credit was truly possible, then many who lacked assets would follow suit and borrow money from the merchant guild.
They could obtain an Innate Spiritual Treasure first and worry about the rest later.
If not... that was fine too. In any case, they weren't the ones losing face.
Faced with Zhunti and Jieyin's plea, the corners of Xuanjian's lips curved upward into a light smile. “My apologies, Fellow Daoists, but our merchant guild does not offer lending services at this time.”
As a transmigrator, Xuanjian naturally knew about Zhunti and Jieyin.
The two of them could be called quintessential examples of a grassroots comeback.
They were whole-heartedly devoted to revitalizing the West.
In essence, not only were they not in the wrong, but they were actually commendable.
Unfortunately, both were too eager for quick success. Rather than painstakingly and steadily repairing the West, they were always looking for opportunistic shortcuts.
In the end, they still failed to restore the Western continent to its former glory.
Hearing Xuanjian's refusal, Zhunti wept even louder.
“It seems my brother and I cannot even enter your guild's doors today. Rather than suffer this, I might as well smash my head against the pillars before this hall and die!”
A tree without bark will surely die, but a man without shame is invincible.
For a mighty being at the great perfection of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm to be this shameless was truly rare.
Even Xuanjian was dumbfounded.
Smash your head and die in front of my hall?
Don't you dare. That's terrible luck.
“Security!”
Xuanjian yelled, “Keep an eye on these two! Under no circumstances let them die at my doorstep, lest their bad luck dispels my wealth!”
Xuanjian's voice fell.
At first, nobody responded.
It was rather awkward.
Only after a moment did the Twelve Ancestral Witches belatedly realize that Xuanjian was shouting for them.
Immediately...
Rate on N.U.
